


Hid under Lock and Key

by SilverScaler3000



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Flirting, Drugs, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Jealousy, M/M, Memory Loss, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective Peter Parker, Protectiveness, Slow Build, Teenage Tony Stark, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26379721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverScaler3000/pseuds/SilverScaler3000
Summary: Tony Stark gets de-aged into a nineteen-year-old (because of course, he does)He has no interest in being a hero, running his company, or really listening to anyone. The biggest change though? He keeps flirting with Peter....like, what?
Relationships: (Past) Tony Stark/Pepper Potts, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 31
Kudos: 156





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I found the idea for this fic buried in some notes I had made years ago.
> 
> Hope yall like it!

Captain America had been the first one to reach him, but he needed Peter’s help to open the suit.

They‘d been fighting a magical entity that had somehow been set loose in the middle of Manhatten, when Mr. Stark got hit by a stray tentacle. He was sent crashing into a building, and then the one behind that. He didn’t get back up. Didn’t respond when Peter shouted his name, begging him to answer.

While Thor and Doctor Strange continued pushing the monster into a portal, Peter, Captain America, and Hawkeye all raced to Mr. Stark's aid. Steve got there quickest (Peter was close behind, Hawkeye a bit farther back) but wasn’t able to do anything because the suit was still programmed not to open for him. Siberia was a fresh wound for Mr. Stark, even years later.

Peter was the only person on the team besides Mr. Stark himself who could get the armor to open without brute force, actually.

He did so as quickly as he could, his panic rising sharply as Karen informed him she could detect traces of magic inside the suit. When it finally opened, he nearly fell on his ass in his shock.

Inside, was Tony Stark. A very young - late teens? - very confused looking, Tony Stark.

Clint arrived then and summarized what they were all thinking with a very simple: “ _What the actual fuck_.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Let me see if I’m getting all of this,” Mr. Stark said, pausing every few seconds to stare at something, forcing Hawkeye and Cap to keep pushing him along. 

Peter was following close behind them, but at a more moderate pace; his panic having long since morphed into a bizarre sort of fascination. 

After Mr. Stark had stepped out of his armor, it had become quickly apparent that it wasn’t just his body that had somehow been de-aged. He couldn’t remember a single thing, not the Avenger’s, the year it was, nothing. He had needed assurance from Jarvis that everything was alright, and that they could be trusted.

An incoming news helicopter prompted Peter to suggest they take Mr. Stark to the Avenger’s Tower, where prying eyes wouldn’t see the inventor in his vulnerable state. Hawkeye and Captain America agreed wholeheartedly. Once inside, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Peter, who normally took his mask off once in the safety of the tower, opted to keep it on until they figured out just what had happened. Mr. Stark, on the other hand, clearly felt comfortable enough now given the fact that his natural curiosity was set to overdrive.

“So, you’re a spy,” he indicated to Clint, who made an affirmative grunt. “And you’re Steve Rogers; not a clone but the actual super-serummed wet dream in the flesh.” Steve made a weird choking sound, which was also taken as an affirmative. “And I’m supposed to be fifty years old, a ‘superhero’-”

Mr. Stark froze as they finally reached the Avenger's common room, and Peter collided with Cap as the man stopped abruptly.

Peter lept backward, embarrassed. “Sorry!” he squeaked.

“And apparently I have horrible taste in furniture because what the hell!? This place looks like something out of a-”

Peter didn’t get to find out what it looked like, because at that moment Pepper walked in, distracting everyone. Her steps faltered when she saw Mr. Stark, but Peter admired the fact she kept walking towards him regardless. She had, of course, been informed about the situation, but it was one thing to hear about it and another to actually _see_.

“Oh Tony,” she said, looking crestfallen. “What did you do this time?”

Peter didn't think that was really fair. Neither did Mr. Stark.

“I’d be offended that you think this is my fault, but I’m to busy wondering who the hell you are,” Mr. Stark answered her stiffly, brushing both Clint’s and Steve’s hands off of his shoulders. 

Pepper winced. “I am Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries.”

Mr. Stark went uncharastically silent.

“...what?” he finally said, sinking into the nearest available chair, his head in his hands. He started chuckling, but Peter didn’t think he actually found any of this funny. “So Howard couldn’t handle his failure of a son taking over his precious company,” he stated. “That makes sense. Still, I must have fucked up real bad during my twenties to piss him off that much. What, did I actually marry Madonna? I told her a dozen times, I was drunk that night and didn’t really mean it when I proposed to her.”

“I know not of this Madonna, but you may be at ease, son of Stark,” Thor said, walking in through a doorway with Dr. Strange. “You bequeathed ownership of your family’s legacy to Miss Potts many years ago. She is your trusted ally, as are all who stand in this room with you.”

Well, Peter didn’t know about _that_ , but he wasn’t going to say anything that might upset Mr. Stark even more right now, who was busy doing a double-take.

“Um, okay, I won’t question the Viking. For now, anway. I’m much more interested in knowing why, no, _how_ your cape is moving on its own," he said, indicating to the cloak of levitation. "Is that running on a-"

"No," Dr. Strange cut him off, smirking. “It's magic.” Before Mr. Stark could retort that (Peter could practically see it on his tongue), Dr. Strange walked over and plucked a hair right off his head. 

“Hey!” Mr. Stark shouted indignantly, rubbing at the spot. “What gives?”

Dr. Strange ignored him, waving his hands so that the hair hovered in the air. He stared at the strand intently, and everyone held their breath as they watched it begin to glow yellow, then an ominous red. 

Dr. Strange frowned. “This is an intricate spell,” he murmured. “Crafted in a manner I am not familiar with.”

“But you can change him back, right?” Peter asked.

Dr. Strange turned to look at him. “I don’t know.”


	3. Chapter 3

“What do you mean you _don’t know!?_ ” Clint shouted.

That snapped everyone out of their shock-induced quiet. A beat later, they all began shouting and arguing. 

“How can we function as a team if-”

“-our funding depends on his cooperation-”

“Is he stuck like this forever or-”

"-we need Iron Man, not some fucking kid!"

Once Peter could feel his legs again he turned tail and fled, heading for the elevator. What with his enhanced hearing, the noise level was completely unbearable. Not to mention everyone panicking wasn’t helping to soothe his own anxiety. Jarvis took him up to the penthouse without being asked, and he sat on one of the couches with his head in his hands.

That was where Mr. Stark found him.

“Wow, I could not have made that situation worse if I had tried,” he said. 

Peter raised his head, staring at his mentor. The teen had his hands in his pockets, and he was shifting on his feet awkwardly. It was so unlike him to behave like this, and Peter felt a lump forming in his throat. God, everything was so messed up.

“I’ve never seen them like that," Peter mumbled after a moment. "Even Natasha was freaking out.”

“She the hot one with the red hair?” Mr. Stark asked, perking up.

Peter chuckled before he could stop himself. Guess some things never changed. “Yeah, but you should watch out, she’s an assassin.”

“Beautiful but deadly,” Mr. Stark hummed. “Just how I like it.”

Peter didn't even try to hold back his laugh that time, standing. “Yeah, yeah it is," he agreed, beginning to walk towards the kitchen. He'd skipped lunch to help fight the entity and was starting to feel hungry. "Do you want anything to eat?” he thought to ask, opening the fridge.

“Nah, I had Burger King earlier," Mr. Stark said, leaning back against the kitchen counter. "Or, I did, back in nineteen eighty-nine. Is it weird I can still taste that?”

“Don’t ask me,” Peter shrugged, grabbing one of Dummie’s leftover smoothies from the fridge. He was about to open it when Mr. Stark cleared his throat.

“So,” he drawled. “Do I get to know who you are and what’s up with the mask?”

Peter flushed, embarrassed. “Oh, right, sorry. I’m spiderman, Mr. Stark, and I’m kinda, sorta your protege,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Mr. Stark chuckled. “Okay, one, my name is Tony, don’t call me ‘Mr. Stark’. God, I hope older me hasn’t turned into my father. Second, spiderman?” He snorted. “More like spider- _boy_.”

Peter stiffened. “Excuse you?” he said. “I’ve helped you- well, older, you, save the world like a hundred times. I’ve freakin’ earned my title. Also, I’m nineteen, not a boy.”

“So you’re my age,” Mr. Sta- _Tony_ said, brightening, before his brows furrowed in confusion again. “That still doesn’t answer the mask question though. What’re you hiding, are you ugly under there or something?” 

Peter shifted uncomfortably. “No,” he said, wincing at how unsure he sounded. God, Flash was really getting to him if he was acting like this much of a wuss. 

Tony hummed. “Do you have a freakish mutation in the form of an actual spider face, then?”

“Why would you even- no!” Peter exclaimed, grabbing his mask and yanking it off. “See, normal face.” He gestured at it for emphasis. 

Tony blinked, staring at him, and Peter shifted uncomfortably. He wasn’t laughing - that was a good sign, right? - but Peter wasn't sure what to make of that expression.

“I wear the mask to protect my identity,” Peter explained when the silence became too unbearable. “No one except you, the avengers, and a few other people know my alter-ego.”

“And what might that be?” Tony asked, lips quirking into a mischievous smile as he began walking closer. “Cause I’m willing to bet your name is as pretty as you are.”

“It’s-” Peter flushed, his mouth falling open. “Wait, what did you just say?” He began backing up, not liking where this was going.

“Would you prefer beautiful, or gorgeous?” Tony smirked. “I like _pretty_ , personally, because honey doll-” Peter gasped as his back met the wall behind him. Tony closed the distance, their chests brushing as he murmured, “Your face is the farthest thing from normal.” 

“Mr. Stark,” Peter protested, but was cut off when Mr. Stark tsked.

“Thought I told you not to call me that.”

Teen or adult, that tone did things to Peter that he would rather not reflect too deeply on. “Tony,” he tried again. 

“There we go,” Tony smiled. “Still don’t know your name though. Care to share with the class?”

“It’s Peter,” Peter told him uneasily. “Peter Parker.” He swallowed as Tony tipped his chin up with his finger. “W-What are you doing?”

“Getting a closer look at your eyes,” Tony purred. “Gosh, you're really somethin’ else, huh Pettie-Pie.”

Peter frowned. “Don’t call me that,” he said, annoyed now.

“Whatever floats your boat, baby,” Tony murmured, leaning forward and pursing his lips.

Oh. 

Oh god, oh Odin, oh _fuck_.

Peter leaped, clinging to the ceiling as Tony stared up at him with wide eyes. “Don’t touch me like that again!” Peter snapped, pulling his mask back on.

“How are you doing that?” Tony asked, completely oblivious to how freaked out Peter was. “Are you using a molecular tri-”

“No!” Peter shouted angrily, beginning to crawl upside down towards the windows.

“Hey, where are you going?” Tony asked, following him from below.

“Away from you,” Peter growled down at the teen. He reached the glass, which promptly opened for him without Peter needing to ask. He would have to thank Jarvis for having his back, later. Peter gave one last glance behind himself. “Until you either grow up, earn a Ph.D. in personal space bubbles, or turn back into my fucking mentor, leave me the hell alone.”

Not waiting for Tony to call him back, he _leaped_.

For a few seconds, he just enjoyed the free fall. It never got old, the rush of the earth coming to meet him as gravity pulled him down. The joy in the action was somewhat lost in this instance, though. Before he could hit the ground, Peter fired off a web, and, ignoring the tears burning in his eyes, he headed for home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm not really THEIR kind of scientist, if anyone could give me advice on how to effectively get them to be geeks together, shoot me a comment (I'm already planning on having them watch stuff like star wars together - stay tuned!).
> 
> Read ya later!


End file.
